1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a tamper-evident band for attachment to a container in order to indicate if the container has been tampered with after the band has been attached and to a method of applying a heat-shrinkable band to an associated container for making the container tamper proof.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Tamper-evident bands are useful for alerting consumers of products marketed in bottles and containers that the product might have been opened prior to retail sale. These type bands have been placed on prescription and over-the-counter pharmaceutical products such as eye drops, cosmetics, alcoholic beverages, and many other products. Generally, this type of band will show signs of breakage or distortion when the container cap is rotated relative to the container body. This type of breakage or distortion of the band provides a visual indication to a consumer that the product might have been opened or tampered with prior to sale.
There are a variety of tamper-evident and resistant bands shown in the prior art. One type of tamper-evident seal that has been used in the past is a heat-shrinkable member, usually comprising heat-shrinkable thermoplastic material. This type of heat-shrinkable member is usually applied to an associated container in a generally cylindrical form, with heat thereafter applied to the member so that it shrinks and conforms to the associated container. The material from which the member is formed and the manner in which it is applied are selected such that upon attempted opening or opening of the container, the member is visually and permanently deformed to indicate tampering.
While generally cylindrical heat-shrinkable bands are effective in providing a tamper proof container, they can be difficult for the consumer to remove in the ordinary course of opening the container, e.g., to dispense medicine held in the container. As a result, various types of tear away strip arrangements have been used in the past. These have still generally failed to provide an easy opening tamper-evident band.
Also, since the application of the tamper band is typically performed attendant to high speed packaging of products, it is frequently impractical or impossible to sufficiently control and monitor tamper band application to assure the desired interaction of the bands with their associated containers. Additionally, in the case of heat shrink bands, it was often difficult to locate the tear strip once the material had shrunk so that the tear stip or associated pull tab could be grasped by the user.
Thus, it is desirable to provide a tamper proof container having a pull tab which is easily grasped by a consumer in order to remove the tamper-evident band.
It is also desirable to provide a method of applying heat-shrinkable tamper bands or like members to containers so that it is possible to more easily identify and locate the pull tab or strip.